One of my favorite ways to introduce people to squirrel meat is squirrel burgers.

That’s right: Ground squirrel meat, formed into a patty and cooked and served like a hamburger.

The reasons are many.

Once you get a bunch of meat ground, you can easily whip up some burgers in short order. The meat grinder tenderizes, even tough squirrel meat that might otherwise require at least 45 minutes of braising before becoming tender.

A ground patty (or meatball) isn’t off-putting for dinner guests often weirded out by a squirrel’s hind quarter (even though it looks a lot like a chicken drummy to me).

Lastly, it’s delicious. Squirrel has a distinct, nutty flavor. I don’t find it strong, but for those who do, a bun, cheese and condiment — and possibly even a mixture of another ground meat — can easily “dilute” the flavor.

When I first experimented with squirrel burgers last year, they quickly became my son’s favorite wild game fare.

And get this: I didn’t cut the meat at all. 100 percent ground gray squirrel. Unlike the most prolific ground wild game — venison from deer — squirrel seems to stay plenty juicy.

You can get more meals than you might think. Two grays gave me five 1/4 pound patties with enough meat left on the carcass and bones to obtain one shredded squirrel sandwich, or salad, after simmering said remaining scraps until tender and pulling with fingers.

The one drawback is removing the raw meat from the bone. It’s tedious.

I generally stick to gray or fox squirrels here. The smaller red squirrels — which are incredibly tasty and often tender — are just too small to be fiddling around with all the knife work required here.

Of course, there are myriad directions this could take you, from breakfast sausage to links. I’ve messed around with peanut butter and other ideas, but all I’ll proselytize here is the virtues of ground squirrel. Your call on the fixings.

GROUND SQUIRREL

2 or more gray or fox squirrels

salt or buttermilk for soaking

To prepare squirrels

Two gray squirrels, broken down into their major parts. (Pioneer Press: Dave Orrick)

Skin and clean adult squirrels by whatever method you prefer. I generally use some variation that starts with a slit to the back of the hide, although there is a faster technique that involves basically stepping on the tail and pulling that I’m nearly converted to. Keep squirrel hearts. I don’t worry about removing silverskin unless it’s already separated. Break down the squirrel into major parts and soak them in a large bowl of lightly salted ice water or iced buttermilk. Not necessarily a full marinade or brine session, but something to soak the meat. Pat dry before removing meat.

To remove meat

Remove meat from bones with a small, sharp knife, following major muscle groups (such as they are on squirrels) to make it easier. This is the worst part. The meat can be tough, and sinew and connective tissues can make this a chore. Just take your time and keep your knife sharp. Hank Shaw suggests you think of any work like this not as cutting but as “freeing the meat from the bones.” I agree. Get as much meat as you safely can, including the saddle, ribs and neck; it all adds up. Remove any shrapnel or pellets. (Tired of shot-up meat? Try air rifle hunting.) Consider refrigerating the growing pile of meat scraps; cold meat grinds better. Keep the bones, and see below.

Unless you’ve meticulously removed all the silverskin and sinew, don’t try to run squirrel meat through anything smaller than a course grater. (Pioneer Press: Dave Orrick)

To grind meat

I use a No. 10 grinder and only the coarse grater. I’ve tried the fine grater and it inevitably gets clogged with silverskin of other tissue. Add all those scraps that you separated earlier to the meat grinder. The hearts as well, if you like, or keep them for another meal. (But do keep them.) Put it through once. If you want to cut the squirrel meat, I suggest ground turkey. Mix it in now by hand and send it all through the grinder again.

Otherwise, you’re done. The meat will keep for at least several days in the fridge.

Making burgers

If you make burgers, I recommend a quarter-pound to a third-pound patty, and I prefer to use a pre-set shaper for uniformity.

Cook them as you would any burger. I prefer the rare side of medium for the right balance of texture, flavor and moisture. Like with any ground meat, you can ruin a squirrel patty by overcooking. Both frying pan and grill work.

The rest of the squirrel

Remember all those bones you removed the meat from? There’s a whole meal, or two, still to be had from all those little scraps of meat still attached. At the very least, simmer them bones in water until the meat falls away. Strain and hand-pull all the meat off, including the ribs. It’s a little tedious to separate the meat from the bones, but you’ll get the hang of it. And you’ll be amazed at the pile of tender meat you’ve got. mix with mayo for a salad. Save the water. Do this enough times with enough squirrels and you’ve got a righteous broth or stock for soup or whatever. No, this isn’t a full-bore stock-making ordeal — but you can do that as well. At my house, we serve this broth as a soup with sliced carrots and either squirrel or chicken dark meat, whatever is available. The squirrel hearts go in as well. They’re the prize everyone hopes to get.

Dave Orrick reports on state government and politics from the Pioneer Press' Capitol Bureau. When the occasion demands, he's been known to cover topics ranging from hunting to golf. He lives in St. Paul with his wife and son.

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